Monday, April 19, 2010

2008 Pink Ribbon House by Covington Builders in Houston combining stucco with stone and using clay roof tiles.

In my previous post, I shared a few of Leslie Sinclair's (of Segreto Finishes ) images of the 2010 Pink Ribbon Home Tour, which opens again next Friday for its final weekend tour. If you're in or around the Hunters Creek Village neighborhood in Houston, I hope you buy a $15 ticket to tour it. It's located at 10807 Bridlewood. Proceeds benefit the Sue and Lester Smith Breast Center at Baylor College of Medicine. I decided not to steal their thunder by releasing more photos too early. I will show more after the tour ends. That sounds reasonable and appropriate, yes? For now, though, I'd like to share a few scout shots I still have of the 2008 Pink Ribbon house, built by Covington Builders with architectural designs by Ernest Cole. Hope you enjoy . . .

Interior Designer Shannon Mann decorated both the foyer above and the dining room below. I especially like the foyer's tile work, the hallmark of an old soul.

A sunken dining room just off the foyer. Pretty vaulted ceiling. Notice the unusual cornices at the top of the draperies. The trestle table was on loan from Carl Moore Antiques.

Mina and Robert love the Tuscan region of Italy. Their travels, coupled with extensive research, inspired the design of this home. Meredith Publications did choose this house for inclusion in a future issue of a bookazine titled "Tuscan Style." It has yet to come out. How I wish I could show you the wonderful photos that photographer Alise O'Brien (located in St. Louis, MO) took. Wow! I worked alongside her as the stylist.

Notice the different elevations between the breakfast room and family area in the above two shots. Lots of architectural interest. They use a repetitive arch design -- even when it comes to the base of the console behind the sofa! The iron on the staircase also continues on the open second floor.

I wish I could remember more about the curtain rod; it almost looks like tacking. Nice detailing, don't you think? Interior Designer Trisha Dodson volunteered her services for the breakfast area above, the family room and kitchen.

Farmhouse sink and faucet

This backsplash and hood is a signature look of the Covingtons'.

Interior Designer and store owner (Maison Maison Antiques ) Suzanne Duin took a rather odd and long space and turned it into a charming office/computer cubby. She also took on the second floor landing, bringing in a pair of handsome,custom wing chairs (see below):

If I lived here, this space would be mine! So cozy with a sophisticated air.

Suzanne also did this media/game room.

Elegant, luscious guest room by Interior Designer Chandos Dodson, who also did the adjoining guest bath:

The etched mirror adds a touch of glam at this pedestal sink.

Soft gray blues, creamy white and taupe comprise the color palette Julie Dodson chose for the master bedroom. A closer look at the sitting area at the window:

The background "noise" seen through the window is a bit distracting only because the event planners were erecting a tent in the backyard.

His and her closets beyond the curtains. Segreto Finishes did all the painting, faux finishes and plaster for this show house.

Check out this bath tub.

Guest room and sitting area:

(sorry to say I do not have a credit for this room.)

If you want more inspiration, I invite you to visit my 2006 Pink Ribbon post. If you're interested, please go here.

My, you have been a busy bee posting on your blog....so firstly really loved this post. Loved the Italian home that you showed here. I would so love to be your shadow when you were the stylist for this. You have really understood this. Loved the breakfast to family room pictures. The furniture has good lines and will not date. Love all the fantastic architecture of the home, it really does set the scene for how it is furnished. The serene colours are beautiful. Just enough to pack a punch but quiet enough to be a joy to live with, I'm sure. Yes, love the curtain rod in the dining area, details like this really finish it off. Trisha Dodson really outshone as interior designer on the rooms that you mentioned. The farmhouse sink is so different and the faucets also. Can't tell you Susan how much I LOVE the office/computer area. I think it is several things, roman blinds, the overall colour, the cabinets and the piece of resistance for me is the rug on the floor. I would love this in my home, don't know where I'd put it, but I would sit and stare at it all day!! Oh, the next two pictures are so drool worthy, I have to say they are my favourite. If this was yours, when I came to visit....couldn't you see us sitting there chatting away, eating cake and sipping tea. I tell ya if we ever built I would make sure my hallway was wide enough to incorporate some of this eye candy..sigh, so beautiful. Really loved the colours of the guest room, really gorgeous. Is this a usual thing, where several designers will work on a house together???? Hope you are well.Take careJanineXXOOTasmania, Australia

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Eating Bananas Counteract Salt Excesses

Click the bananas to go to my story about sodium

Pumpkin Maple Custard

I haven't met a recipe that I didn't want to change -- even a little bit. This one is no exception. My aim is to make it healthier, using less sugar, for example . . . . So, to begin, let me tell you how I altered the recipe below with good results.

First off, I used fat-free organic milk. I also opted to go a bit lighter by using 4 egg whites and 1 whole egg -- not the 4 whole eggs, as dictated in the recipe below. Additionally, I used 1/2 cup real organic maple syrup rather than 3/4. I didn't have the crystallized ginger, so I chopped up some pecans and added a small dollop of yogurt. I love this dessert.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups 1% milk

4 large eggs

3/4 cup maple syrup

3/4 cup canned unseasoned pumpkin puree

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons whipped cream

1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Put a kettle of water on to heat for the water bath. Line a roasting pan with a folded kitchen towel.

2. Heat milk over low heat in a small saucepan until barely steaming but not boiling.

3. Whisk eggs and syrup in a large bowl until smooth. Gently whisk in the warm milk (a little bit at a time so the eggs don't cook). Add pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; whisk until blended.

4. Divide the mixture among six 6-ounce (3/4-cup) custard cups. Skim foam from the surface. Place custard cups in the prepared roasting pan. Pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the custard cups. Place the pan in the oven and bake, uncovered, until custards are just set but still quiver in the center when shaken, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer custards to a wire rack and let cool for 45 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until chilled.

5. To serve, top each custard with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of crystallized ginger. (Again, since I didn't have the cystallized ginger, I topped it with chopped pecans -- that I did have. Plus a little yogurt.)

This quinoa (keen-wah) salad is a favorite! Everytime I prepare it, someone asks for the recipe. If you're interested in reading about the nutritional benefits of this grain-like crop, go here.

I plan to share all the ingredients of this recipe, which I found on a bag of Eden Red Quinoa. However, *instead of the plum vinegar, I use apple-cider vinegar. Why? Well, the plum vinegar has a whopping 1,050 grams of sodium per teaspoon!! (yikes.) The apple-cider vinegar contains zero (0)!

Preparation:Rinse quinoa in cold water. Add 1 cup quinoa to 1 1/4 cup boiling water. Add chopped beet(s).Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes and fluff. When cool, toss with remaining ingredients and serve. Or place in fridge, as it works as a cold salad.Serves 4.

**Cut off the beet leaves, rinse to add to a green salad or in cut up into small pieces for a pasta salad.

The Scarlet Quinoa Salad, is a pretty red dish, as you might imagine. Think holidays? or anytime, like I do . . . .